May you live in uninteresting times

Recently, as I was leaving a restaurant, I happened to spot a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I stopped to say howdy and he asked me in turn, “So what’s new and exciting?”

I replied “Not much.” And then, after a moment’s pause, I added, “Thank goodness!” 

I realized, in those couple of seconds, that much of the effort in my life had been devoted to dealing with excitement of various kinds. I won’t go into a list right now; I’m sure your life has had a similar round of exciting events, from fender-benders to child-rearing challenges, which have occupied much of your attention.

I understood, in that moment, that my fondest wish was for a generally uneventful life—except, of course, for events of my choosing.

Even more, it finally dawned on me why I had been structuring my life in the specific patterns I had settled into over the past decade: reducing institutional and organizational involvement while still maintaining a wide network of good friends. I was opting for a lifestyle that had fewer irons in my fire, especially those of considerable extraneous interests—like employers, for example. Now there’s a group that really knows how to keep your life exciting.

To a large degree, I’ve been successful. Though there still are unavoidable entanglements: insurance companies, engine problems, weather. Well, what can you do?

But I’m not bored. I read, write (obviously), watch movies, correspond with friends and family, visit the kids and my grandson (soon to have a sibling!) and spend considerable time trying to dodge excitement.

I hope your life may be equally dull.

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